India Gate
At the centre of New
Delhi stands the 42 m high India Gate, an "Arc-de-Triomphe" like archway in the middle
of a crossroad. Almost similar to its French counterpart, it commemorates the
70,000 Indian soldiers who lost their lives fighting for the British Army
during the World War I. The memorial bears the names of more than 13,516 British
and Indian soldiers killed in the Northwestern Frontier in the Afghan war of
1919.
The foundation stone of
India Gate was laid by His Royal Highness, the Duke of Connaught in 1921 and it
was designed by Edwin Lutyens. The monument was dedicated to the nation 10
years later by the then Viceroy, Lord Irwin. Another memorial, Amar
Jawan Jyoti was added much later, after India got its independence.
The eternal flame burns day and night under the arch to remind the nation of
soldiers who laid down their lives in the Indo-Pakistan War
of December 1971.
The entire arch stands on
a low base of red Bharatpur stone and rises in stages to a huge moulding. The
cornice is inscribed with the Imperial suns while both sides of the arch have
INDIA, flanked by the dates MCMXIV (1914 left) and MCMXIX (1919 right). The
shallow domed bowl at the top was intended to be filled with burning oil on
anniversaries but this is rarely done.
During nightfall, India
Gate is dramatically floodlit while the fountains nearby make a lovely display
with coloured lights. India Gate stands at one end of Rajpath, and the area
surrounding it is generally referred to as 'India Gate'.
Surrounding the imposing
structure is a large expanse of lush green lawns, which is a popular picnic
spot. One can see hoards of people moving about the brightly lit area and on
the lawns on summer evenings.
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